Thanksgiving Beyond Earth

Thanksgiving Beyond Earth

Handout photo dated November 22, 2001 shows Cosmonaut Mikhail Tyurin (left), Expedition 3 flight engineer, and astronaut Frank L. Culbertson, mission commander, eat a Thanksgiving meal in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station (ISS). Tyurin represents Rosaviakosmos. ISS003-E-08147 . Since 1973, astronauts have celebrated Thanksgiving in space, bringing a cherished tradition far beyond Earth. The first Thanksgiving in orbit took place aboard Skylab during the Skylab 4 mission, where astronauts Gerald Carr, Edward Gibson, and William Pogue marked the day with an improvised meal after a spacewalk. Over the years, this tradition has evolved, with crews on shuttles, space stations, and orbiters finding creative ways to honor the holiday. From shrimp cocktail and irradiated turkey aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 1985 to tortilla-based meals introduced by Mexican astronaut Rodolfo Neri Vela, culinary adaptations have played a key role. Thanksgiving in space often features improvised decora

Thanksgiving Beyond Earth

Thanksgiving Beyond Earth

Handout photo dated September 22, 2001 shows Cosmonauts Vladimir N. Dezhurov (left) and Mikhail Tyurin, both Expedition 3 flight engineers representing Rosaviakosmos, eat a Thanksgiving meal in the Zvezda Service Module on the International Space Station (ISS). ISS003-E-08146 . Since 1973, astronauts have celebrated Thanksgiving in space, bringing a cherished tradition far beyond Earth. The first Thanksgiving in orbit took place aboard Skylab during the Skylab 4 mission, where astronauts Gerald Carr, Edward Gibson, and William Pogue marked the day with an improvised meal after a spacewalk. Over the years, this tradition has evolved, with crews on shuttles, space stations, and orbiters finding creative ways to honor the holiday. From shrimp cocktail and irradiated turkey aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis in 1985 to tortilla-based meals introduced by Mexican astronaut Rodolfo Neri Vela, culinary adaptations have played a key role. Thanksgiving in space often features improvised decorations, shared greetings, an

Soyuz lifts off

Soyuz lifts off

BAIKONUR, Kazakhstan - Astronauts (from L) Koichi Wakata of Japan, Mikhail Tyurin of Russia and Richard Mastracchio of the United States leave their lodging in Baikonur, Kazakhstan, with a Sochi Winter Olympics torch to be taken into space. A Russian Soyuz spacecraft carrying the three astronauts lifted off at the Baikonur Cosmodrome later that day bound for the International Space Station.

Astronauts with Olympic torch

Astronauts with Olympic torch

MOSCOW, Japan - Astronauts (from L) Koichi Wakata of Japan, Mikhail Tyurin of Russia and Richard Mastracchio of the United States hold, during a press conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center near Moscow on Oct. 22, 2013, a Sochi Winter Olympics torch to be taken into space. The three astronauts will travel to the International Space Station on a Soyuz spacecraft in November 2013.

Astronauts bound for ISS

Astronauts bound for ISS

MOSCOW, Russia - (From L) Astronauts Richard Mastracchio of the United States, Koichi Wakata of Japan and Mikhail Tyurin of Russia hold a press conference at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in the suburbs of Moscow on Aug. 12, 2013. They will head to the International Space Station on a Soyuz spacecraft in November 2013.